Toddler fatally shoots his mom in the head while she is on a work Zoom call after finding his father's gun at home

A toddler accidentally killed his mother with a shot to the head after finding a loaded handgun in their apartment and firing it at her while she was on a work related video call, according to police in Florida.

A colleague who was speaking to 21-year-old Shamaya Lynn heard a loud bang and then saw the mother fall backwards and fail to return back on the screen.

The co-worker dialed 911 and told dispatchers she believed Lynn had been shot.  

Detectives said Lynn's toddler discovered an unlocked pistol which belonged to his father and shot his mother in the head at their home in Altamonte Springs on the outskirts of Orlando.

Shamaya Lynn, 21, was on a Zoom call with a colleague when she was shot in the head by her toddler 

A colleague who was speaking to 21-year-old Shamaya Lynn heard a loud bang and then saw the mother fall backwards and fail to return back on the screen. Lynn is pictured above with her children

'Officers and paramedics did their best in rendering aid to Lynn, but she was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the head,' police said.  

Another toddler was also inside the home, neither of the children were injured.

An investigation remains ongoing as to whether the owner of the firearm will face criminal charges.

'If you own a firearm, please keep it locked and secured,' patrol officer Roberto Ruiz Jr said. 'Incidents like this could be avoided.'

'You can just imagine it's a terrible tragedy for any family to face, one that has devastated her entire family and our community,' Ruiz told WKMG. 

There were some 369 unintentional shootings by children in the US last year, including 142 fatalities, according to gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. 

Detectives said Lynn's toddler discovered an unlocked pistol which belonged to his father and shot his mother in the head at their home in Altamonte Springs on the outskirts of Orlando

 The latest shooting came just days after a North Carolina father was killed after his 2-year-old son accidentally shot him while he was eating dinner.

Markovia Durham, 29, and his son were visiting the apartment of the boy's grandmother in the city of Gastonia, near Charlotte, on Sunday when the accident happened at around 8.45pm.

The boy - who has not been named by officials - picked the gun up thinking it was a toy, and shot him in the back, the grandmother Phyllis Holland told Fox 46.   

Holland added that Durham recently purchased the gun.

Se said the terrified boy ran out of the apartment after it went off. 

Durham was pronounced dead after emergency services arrived at Holland's apartment complex at around 9.30pm.  

The Gastonia Police Department says it is unclear if charges will be made as the investigation surrounding the boy's involvement is still pending.

North Carolina father Markovia Durham, 29, was visiting the home of the boy's grandmother Phyllis Holland at her Gastonia apartment when the shooting happened

Durham was eating dinner on the couch when his son grabbed a gun from behind and shot him in the back after he thought it was a toy

Family members have also been questioned by the Department of Social Services about the incident. 

Holland said that the boy still does not fully understand the circumstances of the shooting as he continues to ask for his father.

She said: 'He want his Dada. He’s only a 2-year-old. He doesn’t understand.' 

 In February, a 25-year-old mother was shot dead in North Carolina after one of her five kids found a pistol inside her purse.

And in April, a toddler in Houston discovered an unlocked gun and killed his eight-month-old baby brother.